The Best Little Road Course in Texas

Purpose-Built Track Gives Formula One New Hope in the U.S.

A Red Bull Formula One show car in front of the Texas Capitol.
Getty Images for Red Bull

By

A.J. Baime

Updated Nov. 15, 2012 12:34 p.m. ET

Austin, Texas

On Sunday, the world of international motor-sport will turn its helmeted eyes to, of all places, Texas.

It is here that Formula One—the richest and most popular form of racing on the planet—will return to the U.S. for the first time since 2007, unleashing some 17,000 horsepower on pavement that is barely dry.

The 2012 U.S. Grand Prix will take place at the new $400 million Circuit of the Americas—the first purpose-built F1 racetrack in this country. It is the latest attempt in F1's quest to establish a foothold in America—the most important realm it hasn't conquered.

As luck would have it, the world championship can be clinched in Austin, which has assured the race a strong turnout. Still, in a sense, the most important race already has been won: that which the promoters faced in their own white-knuckled battle to finish the circuit in time. It is a plot with as many twists as the 3.4-mile track itself.

It all started in 2010 when a group of investors drummed up a quixotic plan to lure F1 back to the U.S. with a circuit outside Austin. They recruited Texas tycoon Red McCombs, the former owner of the Minnesota Vikings and San Antonio Spurs, and approached
Bernie Ecclestone,
F1's mercurial leader.

Ecclestone had a rocky history in this country. Nine U.S. cities have hosted F1, but each event has failed due to poor facilities and contract disputes. For F1, which races in Asia, Australia, Europe, South America—virtually everywhere but here—the U.S. market is a wellspring of fans and money.

A contract was signed in 2010. But as the project moved along, rumors surfaced that construction was way behind. Then came financial problems. In November 2011, Ecclestone crossed the Austin race off the calendar, stopping the bulldozers in their tracks.

A new set of investors came in, headed by local businessman Bobby Epstein, who joined with McCombs and negotiated a new contract with Ecclestone. At one point, Epstein estimated that the race had a 5% chance.

ENLARGE

The new Circuit of the Americas track in Austin.
DPA/Zuma Press

But with new funding in place, construction continued. On Oct. 21, the promoters organized a christening ceremony complete with rides around the circuit courtesy of Mario Andretti, the only living American F1 champion. At the time, backhoes were still hurling dirt around.

If ever there were a season for F1's return, this is it. The U.S. Grand Prix is the penultimate race on the 2012 calendar. The championship has come down to a duel between Germany's Sebastian Vettel (of the Red Bull team) and Spain's Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). Vettel, the two-time defending F1 champion, holds a 10-point lead, meaning he can clinch the title if he places well ahead of Alonso on Sunday.

A third straight title for the 25-year-old Vettel would put him in the ranks of the best of all time. Alonso has managed to lead in points much of this season despite piloting a less-competitive car. He is fighting to bring the drivers' trophy back to Ferrari, the most successful team in F1 history, for the first time since 2007.

"This season has been the best in my memory in terms of being unpredictable and different teams that were not expected to be great coming alive," said Andretti. "You can't write a script like this. The championship could unfold right on our own track."

When the checkered flag waves Sunday, the future of F1 in this country should become clearer. Promoters are expecting between 110,000 and 120,000 spectators Sunday, the climax of three days of racing and events, including a music festival headlined by Aerosmith. Tickets for the race are nearly sold out, according to track officials.

Austin's Circuit of the Americas has a contract to host F1 through 2021. In 2014, F1 is planning a second U.S. race in Weehawken, N.J., against the backdrop of Manhattan. That race was scheduled for June 2013 but was pushed back—a testament to how hard it is to host F1.

Compared with Nascar's traditional oval tracks and closed wheel cars, every F1 circuit is a winding roller coaster and every car a unique open-wheel marvel of technology. "An F1 car is like a fighter jet—the technology, the G-force, the quickness," said Scott Speed, the last American driver to compete in F1 (2007), who has since competed in Nascar. "Nascar feels more like a 747."

The concern is whether these events will pay for themselves—whether F1 once again will fail to resonate here despite its wild popularity overseas. Another drawback: no American drivers. Though McCombs initially said it was "imperative" that an American be on the grid in Austin, there won't be any.

"The sport isn't relevant here," said Speed. "We have the NFL, hockey, IndyCar, Nascar and drag racing. Other countries don't have that infrastructure of entertainment."

Clearly the checkered flag isn't all that is at stake in Austin. "If we can get traction [in the U.S.] and people enjoy our sport then it's going to be fantastic," said Red Bull F1 driver Mark Webber, who is fourth in the standings entering Austin. "It's the most popular motor sport in the world and that's a very important and I suppose precious market for us."

Andretti is optimistic. "It never had a steady home," he said of F1 in the U.S. "Finally it'll have a proper home."

Corrections & Amplifications

The last time a Ferrari driver won the Formula One drivers' championship was 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen did it. An earlier version of this article said a Ferrari driver hadn't won since 2004.

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